Alexis Daria's debut novel did not disappoint!

Puerto Rican professional dancer + Mountain man reality star + dance competition = what more can i say other than read this book!

Gina and stone were perfect for each other, and I love that we got equal of both throughout this story!

Wow! This book is SO GOOD! Whenever I picked up "Take the Lead", I found myself whisked away, and could not put this book down!

Firstly, this cover is INCREDIBLE! Also, as a dancer myself, as soon as I heard about this book, I just knew I needed to read it!

Alexis Daria is a wonderful author! Her writing style is vivid and her storytelling simply jumps off of the page. The chemistry between Gina and Stone is so palpable as well!

Gina, a professional dancer who is on a reality TV show, gets paired with Stone, a man who has starred on a survivalist TV show. I do not want to say too much about the plot due to spoilers, but, I will say, this book has so much in it! The passion on and off the dance floor, secrets, twists and turns, and so much more.

If you enjoy Romance Books, I highly recommend this novel! I so look forward to reading what Ms. Daria writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin) for the ARC of this book! All opinions
expressed in this review are my own.

I've loved Alexis Daria in the past and TAKE THE LEAD had a lot of the great things this author brings. Gina is a strong, focused, ambitious lead who works her ass off and is also vulnerable in certain situations. And Stone is the muscled outdoorsman hero I needed in my life. A sex god who also loves his family? Yes please.

Stone and Gina had insane chemistry and I loved this opposites attract pairing. Prepare yourself for seriously steamy sex scenes between these two! I was here for every page of it.

This book did move pretty slowly in the middle. It is set on a TV Dance Competition and it was pretty heavy on the show storylines and I was wishing there was more story outside if that world. I also wish the antagonist had a few more layers. The "bad guy" in TAKE THE LEAD was a fleetingly present, all bad, horrible person that everyone hated. I just wish there had been more to that character.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: Rated NC-17 / 5+ sex scenes, harsh language. *MIGHT* include props/bondage.
𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗦: past parent abandonment
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗦: 2/5 - A bit of drama, but still a pretty light read.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Take the Lead stars Gina Morales, a dancer who wants to make it big. She’s been on The Dance Off for four years but has yet to win a season or even make it to the finals. Enter her rugged co-star/dance partner for the season, Stone Nielson. Stone is best known as a minor celebrity on an Alaskan wilderness reality show. Stone will do anything for his family, which includes their reality show and now this dance competition. Gina will do anything to win in an honest way. That does not include a showmance and she’s not going to let her attraction to Stone distract her.

This book reminded me of Dancing With The Stars in the best way! It was fun, sexy, and well-paced. I knew to expect these things as I’ve read Alexis Daria books before. It was cute and spicy, which I loved. It was a really fun read!

Is Stone Gina’s ticket to win it all? Is Gina Stone’s ticket off the reality show and back into the life he wants to live? You’ll have to read it to find out!

Take the Lead gives a sultry glance inside dance competitions and the toll they take physically and personally. Daira is an expert in infusing romance into every day interactions. I love the infusion of Latin culture and familial expectations. While the romance is a slow burn, the plot could have used a little more depth in regards to the families of both the main characters. This would have added depth to Stone and Gina

Did di my best with this book, but it just was not engaging at all. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and it felt like it was just a romance written for a class on writing romance rather than for an audience.

I desperately wanted to love this but I just couldn’t get there. I did like that it had that DWTS/Reality tv feel but it was hard to connect with the story and stay engaged with the plot/characters

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this eARC and review for an honest opinion.

Alexis Daria has the precious ability of coming up with great ideas for romance novels and writing spicy scenes and then forget about character development all together. Yes, we get a back story for the male lead but I could not connect with either of them. They seem very superficial and have no maturity when having an argument or when trying to fix their relationship. The spiciness is appropriate and makes up for the lack of everything else. If I'm honest, it was the only thing that kept me reading. I have read her other series and I have noticed that this is her only issue.

Oh my gosh this novel is so much fun! Alexis Daria's debut Take the Lead is rereleased with a stunning new cover and an absolute must read for any Dancing with the Stars lover! Daria's tone is fun and knowledgeable, she has an ease with her writing that makes the moments accessible and easily imagined. Daria's characters are well rounded, interesting and their chemistry is blazing! I adore this novel from start to finish and it is such a strong debut and I am so happy it is getting recirculation!

If you are an avid watcher of reality tv, this novel perfectly embraces the feel, the competition and that manipulation that surround the underlying tension of these shows. Daria's writing embraces the charm of these series and beautifully highlights the tension and seduction of the fifteen minute of fame culture that these shows are built around. I absolutely adored the hero and heroine, both are smart, hard workers and career driven. Their chemistry is off the charts and Daria stunningly illustrates the sexual tension that builds out of attraction and respect. I loved watching these two work together, listen to each other, and wish the best for the other. These two easily understand each other, and the romance between them is fiery are romantic. I really enjoyed the backdrop of dance competition and Daria is a master at crafting her scenes, I could easily image everyone and I was swept up into the excitement and steam!

Take the Lead is definitely a must read for any dance lover! You are sure to enjoy the romance, athleticism, and artistry that is beautifully plotted! I can not wait for the re-release of the other novels in this series by Daria and I am definitely looking forward to continuing to watch her writing grow!

Gina and Stone are paired to dance together on a dance competition show and Gina feels like this might finally be her year to win.

The producers want the couple to play up the showman's angle and Gina is not interested in doing that but these two cannot deny their growing chemistry and feelings for one another.

It's so interesting to see these two dance around each other.

This was a quick read that I really enjoyed.

Alexis Daria writes the sexiest, spiciest romances of all time. They feel good, they make me excited and my heart swells while reading. This was a solid win for me.

i love dwts, so i was so so excited for an arc of this one! unfortunately, it just didn’t develop in a way that worked for me, but i still enjoyed some elements.

for one, the actual concept of the show and the mismatched partnership set up a really fun story. i love the city girl/country boy concept, and the visuals of the show and dances were super fun.

this book, however, is blatant insta-lust. that’s not my preferred trope, and it felt like that element never really let up, especially in the second half of the book. their height difference seemed to be their biggest connection (lol but actually) and ultimately the love story just wasn’t enough for me.

i loved the elements of interesting background relationships, the spanish speaking, and some sections of the writing were really vivid and fun. i do wish the conflict was a bit stronger and that it differentiated from what was happening on camera more.

ultimately, this book was gorgeous on the outside (this cover!!!!!!) but missed some of the substance on the inside for me.

thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for the earc!!!!!!!! <3

3.75

This is a rerelease of Alexis Daria’s debut, and I liked it even more than [book:You Had Me at Hola|52886627].

This takes place on a version of Dancing with the Stars, and I am always a sucker for reality tv romances. Gina is a professional dancer who has spent her whole career acknowledging that dancing won’t last forever and working to break the “promiscuous Latina” stereotype. Stone is her celebrity partner, known for his family’s Alaskan survivalist show, but he’s got his secrets. I loved the behind the scenes of reality tv, and I really liked these two characters and I loved watching their growth throughout the show. Their chemistry was fantastic and their issues/miscommunication made sense, though did drag a little towards the end for my tastes. I also love how casually diverse this cast is, with side characters of various ethnicities and sexualities.

I’m not sure if St. Martin’s is going to pick up the rest of this series, but I hope they do because I would love to see more of this world. And I think the sequel was Natasha’s book!

I love this! As someone who is a sucker for reality tv, I loved the underlying plot that there just *has* to be a romance on screen to make the show loveable and how this affects the MC. A dancer from Alaska with a big secret? Another huge win!

A frothy, glitzy famous person romance is right up my alley, especially when it's set around a reality TV show. Love! I loved Daria's "You Had me at Hola," and really enjoyed its sequel, "A Lot Like Adios." Her romance is so good– incredibly sexy and still sweet and romantic at the same time.

After 4 seasons on the show The Dance Off, Gina is determined this will be the season where she wins it all. Her partner, Stone, is the star of an Alaskan wilderness show and actually might have what it takes to make it to the finale. The producers are setting them up for a showmance, something neither of them wants. But their chemistry is off the charts and it becomes harder to hide their obvious attraction.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably already know my love for reality tv. Dance competition shows are no different, so I loved the behind the scenes into this ballroom dance competition show. The dance aspect was so fun to follow and worked so well because of the amazing chemistry the characters had. I loved both Gina and Stone for different reasons, and while they were complete opposites they worked so well as a couple. This book was such a fun read!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This couple is so cute! I absolutely love this book, especially the ending. I love the reality show trope, I don't watch this kind but in books? it is super entertaining to read what they will choose!

This is a cute read! first time reading this author. I loved the story of a reality star, somewhat reclusive, paired with a dance competition participant. The slow burn of this book makes for a beautiful romance.

I really loved this book! Who knew I needed the book version of dancing with the stars in my life?

The characters were all really enjoyable. I'm a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine kind of love story which this was.

It was also interesting having both main characters from TV shows but having them be soooo different. I liked that they understood each other in that sense but also have enough differences that it kept things interesting.

Overall, it was a really fun book. The dancing was entertaining. Loved the reality TV setting. The romance was sweet and I was rooting for both of them to succeed the whole time!

TAKE THE LEAD is an adult contemporary romance set in the world of reality tv. It follows Gina, a veteran dancer on a ballroom competition show who is hoping to finally earn the coveted trophy. Her plans go awry when she learns her producers are trying to set her up for a showmance with her reality tv survivalist partner, Stone. Neither of them wants to follow along with the ruse, but their chemistry and attraction to each other could change their plans.

All I can say about this book is FINALLY! I am so happy to have finally read a Latinx romance that I actually really love. I really liked Gina as a character, her integrity and passion jumps off the page and makes her such a great protagonist. Stone is the mountain man of my dreams. He’s so earnest and sweet. I wish the romance would’ve developed differently, it was hard not to feel like it was doomed from the start. But I really enjoyed the ending! I really hope the second book in the series gets re-released because I would jump on it. Definitely recommend this book!